Comminuted wood product and method of making the same



.' Pat nt d e 28.,

win-mu =w. cHnIs'rmsQor nmonrmnn PARK, new JERSEY, nssmnon oronnv. ram -r c .'c. nnms, or'wnsnmcron, msmc'r or cononm. '1-

oommniu'rnn woon rnonuo'r AND mrrnon or mums was such. i

in Drawin.- "Original application filed February 21, um. semis. seam, mimic I. can. 2

application filed June 9,

My invention relates to a new and provedcomposition material, using comminuted wood, preferably wood waste, such as sawdust or its equivalent, as a body, and".

' 5 a. binder consisting,- essentially, of. casein, glue, combined-in suchmanner as to produce a plastic com ound ofa novel character and possessing va uable qualities adapting it for use for many and various purposes in the l0 industrial arts in place of natural woods andother substances; and my invention also re lates 'to a method of *producinga plastic composition of such character.

The present application 1s 'afdlvislon of my priorapplication filed February 21, 1923,

Serial No. 620,504, whichhas eventuated in Patent No; 1,521,174, dated December 30,

1924, for composition material;

One object of the invention is to provide a plastic composition which may be molded,

- rolled, pressed or otherwise formed into shape to produce a desired article, sheet or 2 surface, which is durable, tough and resiliout, which may be sawed,planed, turned or otherwise worked with tools like natural woods, which may be applied by spreading like cement to form floors, panels or like sur faces, which will not warp, check or crackv under ordinary temperatures or uses, which to represent any wood or be iven any orna-' mental surface finish, in imitation of nat-' uralwoods, stones or fabrics, which possesses high dielectric and electric insulating properties, which may be surface stained, painted, varnished or enamelled, and which may be easily treated to render it waterproof and also proof against high'temperar ture changes. 7

Still another object offlthe invention is to provide a wood-casein glue composition which is superhardened in such manner as to greatly increase its-strength, durability and resiliency, while, at the same time, rendering the product of such a uniform and homogeneous texture, that such product may i be worked with tools without 0 jectionallybe used in place of natural wood 'for the 1 Casein glue, 1 part; water is highly water-resistant, and'wh'ich may be- 1924. Serial Ro.; 71 9',0 95' f1 ,quick' dialling upon the tools, g A still further object of the invention is to provide a plastic composition which may or excessive wear and tear production of articles or surfaces of greater strength and durability than when made from the natural wood, and which will be substantially fire-proof and adapted to be oven-enamelled when desired.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a method of makings, composition possessing the desirable qualities and 7' qualifications. specified. In carrying my invention into practice, I provide .a. composition consisting, when made from prepared casein glue, of the'following constituents: a

tilled), 3 parts; and -coniminuted wood, 4to5parts. I

The prepared casein glue referred to may" consist of any of the commercial products in powdered form, consisting of casein, mixed with hydrated powdered lime, using from ten percent (10%) to twenty-five percent (25%) of lime, as may be found most desirable under diilerent conditions. I may, however, mix the lime with the casein at the time the product is to be prepared, and for special purposes may use otherand equivaother ingredients, suchas caustic soda, sodium'fluoride, sodium silicate, sodium phosphate, or magnesia, for the purpose of increasing the working life, add water resistance, give antiseptic properties and to otherwise improve the qualities oftheglue. The c'omminuted 'wood employed may he sawdust, ranging from coarse quality to the degree of fineness of wood flour, according to the fineness of texture and quality of the substance to be produced, and I may use any suitable equivalent of this wood waste mate- (preferably dislent setting alkalies, and in addition employrial, such as wood fibre, wood pul cellulose 1 fibre, or any commmuted wo material made from low grade woods or any wood waste, similar to sawdust, which may be employed for the purpose .in original or properly prepared form. 1

The stated amount of water employed, is

um adapted for general use, but the amount may vary to a greater or less extent dependi cut upon the nature of the casein employed.

I, however, use an amount of water slightly in excess of that required to give the req-v uisitedegree of viscosity and agglutinating properties suitable for the amount of wood treatment, this excess amount,v of

whtefbeing for a purpose hereinafter described.

In producing the composition where ready prepared glue, as such, is used, the glue is first introducedinto the water and thoroughly mixed therewith by stirring or agitation until all the glue is introduced and a smooth flowing mixture of uniform consistency is produced. 1 This water glue mixture is then allowed to stand for a period of.

from 15 to minutes until a complete chemical action takes lace, at which time gelatination of the a buminoid (proteid) constituent is about to begin. The comminuted wood, preferably in a moistened or partially saturated state, is then gradually added to the glue mixture, the mass be ng constantly stirred or agitated to cause the glue to thoroughly permeate the wood.

.mass produced. The composition is then place, whe

This is continued until all the wood is in troduced and a thorough combination of the constituents iseffected and a dough-like complete and ready for use. Where the'glue is prepared at the time of use, the lime, or

other setting alkali, alone, or with other alkali'es or other modifying constituents emthroughout the mass. This excess amount of moisture is held, bound in the body and is capable in whole or part, of exudation to the surface of the body, under pressure applied to the body and according to the degree of pressure employed. I make use of this excess moisture, and certain properties which it gives to the material, for the purpose of securing certain beneficial working and treatment results, as fully hereinafter explained.

Articles of various kinds may he made from the plastic composition by molding, with or without pressure. Without pressure, the density of the article made is' 'about equivalent to that of medium-weight natural wood. Under. increasing degrees of pressure the density and weight of the product that required for agglutination,

increases, and inv the manufacture of dense products pressureof any, degree may be resorted to. An important advantageofthls composition, however, is that-a weight, density and solidity sufiicient for all ordinary purposes isse cured by -plainmolding without pressure or with very little pressure. This is .due to, the fact'that, in the composition made as des cribed all portions of the wood, including the minute pores of the wood particles, aresaturated with the'glue, distributed uniformlythroughout the mass by theliquidity of'the slightly thinnedadhesive, owing to the presence of the slight excess vof water, so that the formed article will be uniform in density and texture throughout and'may be so molded without pressure. The article so produced will set and harden ordinarily in from three to four hours and will naturally dry and harden fully in about onev week. The excess of moisture referred to slightly prolongs the setting and hardening periods when the product is allowed toset and'dry in a natural way, butlends itself to the carrying out of various important steps in various uses of the matcrialfl and particularly to artificial drying for, mass-production, purposes, the manufacture of a 1 super-hardened product, and the-rolling or laying of the material by trowels or like tools,',as in the construction of sheet-material, floors or similar materials and surfaces. When the article is molded,

and is to be given a fine and smooth surface finish without dressing treatment,itl1is may be effect-ed by molding under slight pressure, causing the surplus adhesive to flow to the surface, fill all voids and dry with a glazed finish. i y

The plastic composition may also be shaped as desired under pressure, as in the manufacture of articles in press molds or between dies, and such composition may also be passed between rolls, with or without pressure, for the production of material in sheet form. Articles varying from pieces and other-objects of utility may be made by ordinary mold ng or by press-molding, and

boards, tiles, panels, channel beams and of statuary and the like to furniture parts other'articles of sheet or channeled form.

may be made by a'rol-ling process. The composition may further be laid while plastic to form floor, wall or ceiling surfaces, continuous or blocked, in which operation it is spread like cement by the use of trowels or similar tools. When so |aid,-the presence of the excess moisture in the composition is. of advantage and importance, in that the workmen by tamp ng or patting the laid material may bring the excess moisture to the top to float and smooth off the surface and to enable the material to be Worked and smoothed without becoming tacky and sticking to the tools. Exudation of the excess moisture totlie'surf'ace is also' of advantage in smoothing off the face surface of an article formed in a plain mold and in preventing sticking of dies'or rolls to "the material" in other shaping operations without the necessity of coating the surfaces of the formers or shapers with oil or other non-'stlcking substances, or, if an oil or other coating substance is used, it will enable the amount to be materially reduced. ;A coating of'glue lying at or adjacent to-the surface-may thus be provided whichis useful in" allowing tiles or other articles made in accordance with my invention to be strongly joinededge-t0 edge by a glue of the same kind used as the binder, the glueso employed combining with fibre of a natural white wood, is denser than c the natural wood,:of approximately the same or of a somewhat greater weight, and'isof a color varying froma lightcream to a buff or dee condition or fiooring,ceiling, paneling and all other purposes to provide a pleasing and artistic surface. any of these purposes may be molded or shaped with .a smooth surface or with a -1'0i.l h or irre 'ular oatmeal surface and is g a may be left untreated to weather or-may be stained, varnished or otherwise suitably finished. Such product has its wood particles homogeneously bound in surface contact I throughout the mass by the binder and hence is of uniform texture and may be sawed,

turned, planed, sand-finished or otherwise shaped or finished without breaking or crumbling and will take a'very fine surface finish which may be highly polished. .Theprepared product is substanfially water-proof, being highly resistant to moisture, and when varnished, enamelled or treatedn'vith a similar surface coating, will be practically proof against the absorption of moisture. The product may be made,water-proof by immersing it in boiling parafiin or similar-oils or waxes or a mixture of oils or waxes, or by combining with the plastic composition synthetic or natural resins or rubber; which, in the subsequent course of treating the formed article in the drying process,- aft-er described, will-result in-ihethorough permeation of the material by the waterproof substance or substances and the partial or complete vulcanization of rubber if a rubber compound is used. The natural material has high dielectric and other electric insuiscomposition are of importance stained,

cream, and may be used in 'this f an important part "fof The product prepared for ment, dries the product ,"wardly leaving the surface only wet from herein-z lating properties andmay be used wherever a fibre base or panel is employed for the mounting of electrical instruments and the like..

The wood 0 troduction of dyes or other coloring maleproduct maybe made to simulate rial into the wood or composition at'the time t of mixing the constituents thereof. Pro'd,-" u'cts varying inshades or colors, and of com trastin colors, maybe made by dyeing por-.

ions 0 'thesawdust orother wood material different colors and mixing the differently colored woods .in'varying proportions before the formation ofthe plastic mass. In this .70 i various kinds and colors by the inmanner coloring'agents'may be' roduced to make the prepared product simu ate various t'erial so pre ared mebe made to resemble artistic "mar le or ot er materials'for the production of ornamental. building materials,

such as tiles and other similar articles.

-wood, tapestry or stone finishes. Sheetma- The surface of thefproduct may furtherbe' binder and thus be orcrumbling ofi'. g -While the product be naturally dried, m in a, drying s ep, wliici necessary for making the the market, and at the; same time provides 'In rying the formed product it is placed in a suitable chamber and there subjected to from-300 to 400 untilins tion of the product shows that the interior thereof is dried out, which may be determined by the degree of humidity of the chamber and the moisture, contained upon the surface of method of treatment, unlike hot air treat,

from the center outthe condensation within the heating chamber. This moisture upon the surface of the product may be allowed toevaporate naturally, or it may be evaporated artificially in an ordinary drying kiln or wi hin the same heating chamber by the en'iployment of dry heat. The temperature under which this dryingis conducted also promotes rapid setting of the setting agent and causes a more thorough and complee coagulation of the albuminoid content of painted ,Or enainelled m the-usual. I way,with'the result of making a more durable finish than usual, as the solvent vehicle and pigment of the coating will in such cases combine to some extent with thefproteid prevented from flaking invention consists reduces the time 1 a product ready for vv a superhardened product and one which is} cured thoroughly against possibility of d com osition of the component parts thereof the product, This the product. making it harder and more resilient, as well' as the.

destruction of ferment producing agencies, thereby thoroughly curing the product and rendering it sterile and proof against decomposition of the proteid constituent. Another fermentation producin important advanta e gained by this-dryi treatment is that it iberates the terpenes an other volatile oils contained in the tiny cells of the wood, opening the cells for the thorough penetration of the wood by the binder and any water-proofing constituents employed and causing oxidation of the oils and a smooth blending of the oils, resins and binder, producing a degree of finertexture of the material and a thoroughly uniform distribution of the binder throughout the mass of the wood. The sum of the results of this dryin treatment is the production of a cured product which is indurated or superhardened to a very high de ee by maximum coagulation of its protei constituent and oxidation of its resinous and oleaginous con-. SiltllGDllS, and which 1s therefore of finer grain or degree of homogeneousity, as well as tougher and more resilient, than the untreated product, there being an entire absence of looseness of texture or crumbly appearance, distinguishing in this respect from all prior wood products of this character as heretofore made.

My invention provides a wood product which is highly useful, among many other things, for the manufacture of floors, ceilings, beams, pillars, desk to 5, panels. and

other parts of desks and ot or. articles ofv .furniture, boxes, fancy goods and articles, moldings, trunks, cases and cabinets, radio panels and the like, window, door and floor trim, refrigerators, insulation boards, cro-- quet balls, balustrades, and boards and lumber of various kinds, as well as ornamental tiles or' floor and wall slabs. It is superior to so-called ply wood, made of veneer sheets united by casein glue, in that his strongerf tougher and more durable, more hi hly re sistant and at the same time, unlike p wood, is almost, fire-proof, being non-com ustible to a very high degree. Another advantage is that, as the binder is uniformly distributed throughout the material,there are no massesof glue present, in hardened or gummy state,

to make the product difiicult to work with tools]. On the contrary, the product, while exceedingly hard, is of such texture that it may be worked with edge tools without causor ply wood of ordinary construction. Furthermore, my improved roduct may be bored freely and easilv, an nails and screws may be driven theref rough, without cracking or breaking of the pro not dried and cured in the manner described will not warp or check.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim 1. A superhardened comminuted-wood and casein-binder product of the character described characterized in its freedom from:

not, and the prodevaporating ing the rapid dulling and excessive wear body upon tools caused by casein-wood products agents liable to cause decay and in havin t e binder thereof supercoagulated and t e oils and resinous constituents thereof blended and uniformly distributed throughout its mass, the said prod- I not consisting of-a body resulting from a compressedmixture of comminuted wood, prepared casein Inc and water from which the moisture has een driven from the center outwardly by applied moist heat of sufii 76,

'cientl "hlghtemperature to supercoag'ulate.

the a bummoids and cause difiusion oi'the- 'oilsand resinous constituents throughout the mass thereof and from which the residualamount of. the expelled moisture has been 0' dissiplated by surface evaporation; .2.

he process of making a composition of the. character described,v which consists in forming a body from a mixtu'reof-c'omminuted wood, water andfcasein glue, d Q ing the body from the center outward v y exposing it to the action j of live steam at a temperatureof from 300i-to 400 F., so as to supercoadgulate the casein and super harden the bo y and drive off. the moisture to the surface, and-then evaporating the sur 1 face moisture from the bod-y. a a

3. The

process of making a composition of the. characterdescribed, which-consists in J Iiorming a body from a.mixture of comminuted wood, and prepared casein glue,

consisting of powdered casein mixed with; 3 from 10-to 25% ofpowdered-hydrated limeand suflicient water'to produ'cefa glue,- drying the bodyfrom thecenter outward by ex r posing'it to the action of live steam at a temperature of from 300 to 400 F., so as to. supercoagulate'the casein and- 'superharden the body and drive on the moisture to the 5. l'heprocess of making a product of the character described, which consists in preparing a composition-of comminuted wood, 9

casein glue and water, the water being in quantity slightly in excess of that re uired for saturation of the wood and agglut niza tion of the glue constituent, molding or; otherwise shaping the material under pressure into a desired form-so as to bring more or less of the excess moisture to the surface, subjecting the shaped material to the action of live steam at a temperature of from 300 to 400 1 1, so as to cause drying of the material from the center outward and produce maximum coagulation of the albumen content of the glue and oxidation of the oils and resins in the wood, and then evaporating the surface moisture from the material.

6. The process of making a composition of the character described, which consists in formin a body from a mixture of comminute -wood, powdered casein, powdered hydrated lime and water, the water bein in uantity slightly in excess of that required or saturation of thewood and a lutination of the casein constituent modding or otherwise shaping the material under pressure into a desired form, subjecting the" shaped material to the action of live steam at a temperature of from 300 to 400 F.,

so as to cause drying of the material from the center outward and produce maximum coagulation of the albumin content of the glue and diffusion and oxidation of the oils and resins in the wood, and then evaporating the surface moisture from the material.

7. As a new substance, a body formed from a mass of finely divided natural wood, and a casein binder holding the finely divided particles of wood in massed contact, said product resulting from a superharden- 'ing treatment under which the moisture is evaporated at predetermined temperatures successively from the interior and surface of,

the mass. 4

In testimony whereof I aflix my si natu: e. v a WILLIAM CHRIST S. 

